Ok, so my title may be a little over dramatized. haha We actually went into the class and realized we were more knowledgeable than we had previously thought. And after two sessions of 3 1/2 hours each, we were on information overload.
There have been many things that I have had to complain about the military hospital here when it comes to our care and their bedside manner, but I have to say that I am very grateful that we had the chance to take this class as well as the breastfeeding class I'm taking on Monday. It was very informative and at least now we know what to expect as to what is specific to this hospital's labor and delivery.
I'm very excited that Tripler doesn't have a nursery so Aria gets to stay with us the whole time. They also highly advocate for skin on skin immediately after birth. At first I was a little put off by the obvious mess that this will be. If you know me, you know that I can heave at almost anything remotely disgusting. But I am actually very excited about the thought of her being close to me those first precious moments of her entrance into the world. That's something that only she and I will get to share and she can be as messy as can be and it's still going to be the greatest moment of my life. I cannot wait to look into her eyes and bond with her immediately! If, by chance, I need a c-section Ethan will go to recovery with her immediately and do skin to skin.
After this class I feel much better about the epidural as well. There were only 2 women in the class that have the intention of giving birth naturally. Which I commend them for! I never really felt bad about the fact that I knew I wanted an epidural. It won't make me feel like less of a woman or less of a mother. I personally do not handle pain very well. I'm an emotional person to begin with and add pain to the mix and I quickly become a wreck. I would rather not be that way when giving birth to my child. The nurse anesthetist came in and talked with us and showed us the epidural needle and catheter. Ethan swears it's no big deal cause he's had a needle twice as big in his arm from all the plasma giving during college. haha I do plan on trying to go as long as I can without the epidural because I do not want to be confined to the bed. This hospital has a jacuzzi in every room but 2, exercise ball, birth chair, squatting bar... the works. I would like to be able to take advantage of those things and keep mobile as long as possible.
All of the videos we watched were from the 90s. Seriously outdated. I got a kick out of the outfits and big glasses. But the logistics don't really change I guess, so they were still relevant.
I did not enjoy seeing how big 10 cm actually is. (I've been avoiding this. Better for me not to think about it.) Ethan keeps poking fun that his whole fist fits in 10 cm. (duh). It was also hard to sit through the breastfeeding portion of the class when your husband and the husband behind you are cracking up at the baby going at the boob! So immature, but it made both me and the other mom crack up as well. Yes, we were those people off to the side of the room.
There were know-it-alls in there of course and we had to also sit through lots of questions that were kind of duh questions. I got a funny look from one of the girls when I raised my hand that I was going back to work soon after. I was one of 3, and the only one not in the military. I hate that I had to deal with that. But you gotta do what you gotta do and I would go crazy at home. All in all though not too bad of an experience. Nothing so shocking that I wanted to run. Ethan was already prepared to play the role that he will and he knows me well. He knows that the best thing he can do is distract me and keep me laughing. I plan on having as joyful a birthing experience as possible through the pain. With a husband like mine I'm not too too worried. I'm taking this ride one step at a time. No sense in worrying now. It's a tad too late...
No comments:
Post a Comment